Windshield wiper



June 24 1947- H. A. UNGERLAND 2,422,761

' wINDsHIELD WIPER Filed Nov. l, 1944 ATTORNEY V NTOR Patented June 24, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE V'JINDSHIELD WIPER Henry A. Ungerland, Gceanside, N. Y.

Application November 1, 1944, Serial No. 561,335

2 Claims.

This invention relates to windshield wipers, and aims to provide a novel, practical and eicient Wiper which will not only melt and wipe away frozen vapor, sleet, or ice from the windshield but will also prevent the formation of mist on the inside of the windshield by warming the glass. Thereby clear and unimpaired vision may be had by the driver in weather which often makes it impossible to drive an automobile because of the obstructed vision through the windshield.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a windshield wiper unit in the form of a channel member having an electric heating unit mounted therein, with a coating of a combination insulating material and efficient wiper material, and a suitable material to answer this purpose is known to the trade as carsteel insulator or insulating material.

The above and other objects will become apparent in the following description, wherein characters of reference refer to like-numbered parts on the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood that the drawings' are intended for the purpose of illustration only, and that it is neither rdesired nor intended that the invention be limited in any way to the specific details of construction shown excepting insofar as they may be deemed essential to the invention.

Referring briefly to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the wiper member.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevational view of the same, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan View of the wiper unit.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional elevational View taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front View of an automobile, showing the application of the wiper member to the windshield wiper of an automobile.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral IIJ indicates the swing arm of a windshield wiper, to the end of which is secured in any desired manner the wiper unit or member I I which comprises the present invention. Merely to indicate one means by which the wiper unit I I may be secured to the arm III, the former is shown with a slotted projection I2 thereon.

The member II comprises a channel member I2 having the back I3 and the two wings I4. A

coiled heater element I5 extends longitudinally and approximately centrally through the channel I2, and a return wire, insulated, shown at I5, extends back along the back I3 of the channel. A rectangular pad of suitable electrical-insulating material which is at the same time suitable as a wiper, is wedged into the channel between the back I3 and the wings I4 with the element I5 clamped or held therebetween and the two mutually contacting edges I8 of the mounted pad I'I extending outward beyond the edges of the wings I4 and forming a fiat surface at their extremities. A wire I9 leads from the heating element I5 and, together with the return wire I5, pass on to a suitable switch, not shown, forming part of a current supply circuit, not shown, to energize the element I5.

When in use, with the wiper unit Il moving across the windshield and the heating element energized, heat will pass through the material II and thereby melt frost, sleet, or ice on the glass, and also warm the glass, and the projecting edges of the wiper unit, shown at I8, will wipe away the water thus formed.

In weather which is warmer than freezing, the edges i8 provide an efficient Wiper edge to remove rain or water from the glass, without ener gizing the electrical heating element.

Thus a windshield wiper has been provided which is adaptable and eicient in all sorts of weather and whose use will enable the driving of a car in weather which at present frequently compels the car to be kept idle.

Obviously, modifications in form and structure may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A windshield wiper comprising an elongated helical electric heating element, a relatively thick wrapper of insulating material substantially U- shaped in cross-section covering said element, said element nesting within the U against the inside of the base of the U between the arms of the U with said arms relatively shortl and brought together and extending from said element with their mutually adjacent surfaces in contact with each other thereby sealing said element, an elongated substantially channel-shaped housing having said wrapper and said element contained in the wrapper mounted therein with the base of said U in contact with the web of said member and with the flanges of said member in contact with said arms, said arms extending beyond the longitudinal edges of said flanges.

2. The windshield wiper set forth in claim 1, said anges extending angularly toward each other thereby clamping said wrapper about said element and clamping said wrapper within said housing.

HENRY A. UNGERLAND.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,657,916 Curtis Jan. 3l, 1928 1,811,440 Shepard June 23, 1931 1,885,710 Gentry et al. Nov. 1, 1932 

